By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
This year’s Trojan War between Southeast of Saline and Beloit was billed as a potential playoff preview between two perennial powers now squaring off in an all-2A arena.
Beloit, fresh off an appearance in the 2A state championship game, at home, and with something to prove after falling to Ellsworth in week one, was expected to give the new #1 team in their class a real run for their money.
Southeast of Saline had other plans.
Much like last season, Beloit’s unwillingness to throw the ball became their undoing, as the SES defense smothered the Trojan run game, holding Beloit to just 34 yards on 20 carries in the first half.
SES afforded the run-crazed Beloit offense no quarter, with Caden Isaacson and Mac Chambers in particular shutting down play after play at the line of scrimmage before anything could develop.
“[Caden and Mac] are doing well and we knew coming into the season that we’d have to rely on them a little bit,” SES head coach Mitch Gebhardt said. “Against a team like Beloit you need guys like that to be a little nasty and they were tonight.”
While the defense stood tall drive after drive, the restocked Southeast offense got back to work as new feature back Nathan Friesen found paydirt twice before halftime to put SES up 22-0 at the break.
In an effort to catch the defense napping, Beloit attempted a single pass in the second half which was immediately picked off to put the Southeast offense back on the field.
That offense would continue to roll, with a Luke Gebhardt-led passing attack torching an unprepared Beloit secondary for 275 yards through the air and 410 yards of total offense on the day.
While Gebhardt looked true to form, it was a special night for Nathan Friesen, who tallied four rushing touchdowns on ten touches before the final whistle.
“I think we played cleaner in the second half but we still have a lot of things we need to work on,” Gebhardt said. “Beloit’s a good football team and we know that just like us they're going to continue to work and get better. I’m proud of the way our guys played tonight.”
The purple and white have now won their last 18 consecutive regular-season games dating back to 2019 and have claimed victory in the last five Trojan Wars with Beloit.
SES will take their 2-0 record to Minneapolis next week to take on the 2-0 Lions while Beloit will stay home looking for their first win of the season against winless Republic County.